How India is poised for Industry 4.0

Target of “Make in India” is to increase manufacturing GDP contribution to 25% and become the “smart factory of the world’.

Indian manufacturing Industry has reached to an inflection point providing the best opportunity to synchronize with Industry 4.0.

India is taking a building blocks approach to its industrialization, focusing on infrastructure and the development of specific industry sectors. But some observers wonder if smart manufacturing offers India and other emerging nations a chance to leapfrog the West by investing in the latest generation of production capacity.

Manufacturing Industry with smart factory concept is adopting Internet 4.0 (also called as Industrial Internet) to bring together the advances of two transformative revolutions: the myriad machines, facilities, fleets and networks that arose from the Industrial Revolution, and the more recent powerful advances in computing, information and communication systems. Enterprises are increasingly looking forward to leveraging the global Innovation capacities available to enable the Industry 4.0 vision.

ER&D Enterprises from India has strengthened the India advantage for complementing Industry 4.0 vision through developing Innovative solutions on Software led scalable resources for Cyber –Physical system to help the global organizations bringing innovative products and solutions and cutting down the cycle time.

With 58-60 million people (only 12% of working population) employed in the Indian manufacturing industry, representing about 12 percent of the country’s overall working population, the Indian manufacturing landscape needs to undergo a massive revamp in order to remain competitive in terms of investment, infrastructure, and technology.

Indian government invented a strategic initiative called ‘Make in India’ to reform the manufacturing industry in the country. Under this gov has laid out policy initiatives aspiring to expand economy’s manufacturing footprint significantly. Some of the strategic goals of this programs are: enhancing job opportunities; minimizing imports ; expanding exports and creating a conducive environment for technological evolution

India will have to take part in the development of a globalized manufacturing environment, and the Make in India initiative is a solid kick-off in this direction.

250 MN people are expected to enter the workforce in next 15 years; which has mandated the adoption of Industry 4.0 to be an inevitable necessity for the Indian economy in realizing its plans of elevating its manufacturing industry to global levels of excellence.

Four functional pillar of Industry 4.0 are: Big Data, Internet of Things, Internet of Services, and Integrated Industries; converging into three main aspects: Technology, Collaborations and Processes ultimately mapping suppliers, OEM’s and production houses together.

How can Industry 4.0 be helpful in Make in India

Connected factories – connecting Indian manufacturing enterprise back to principals for control and benchmarking against global standards

A BCG study says that by 2025, manufacturing costs are anticipated to be 18%-33% lower in economies where robotics and automation are leveraged. ( Robot in operation is $4 per/hr as compared to $25/ hr for human)

Well –trained and skilled labor is Backbone of Make in India and thus Industry 4.0.

India through it’s Make in India strategy was a premier partner in HANNOVER MESSE where Industry 4.0 has been showcased in practical to world. Where around 400 companies showcased their good and services announcing India’s intent towards Industries 4.0 using Make in India as a platform.

Indian companies are signing MOUs with German counterparts to collaborate further on Industry 4.0.

For India: Industry 4.0 is a meeting of real and virtual worlds in manufacturing and involves the full integration of manufacturing technologies and systems to make a ‘smart factory’.

According to a HIS Technology report, industrial automation accounted for more than half of the installed base for all Internet-connected devices in 2012. By 2025, the sector will account for nearly three-fourths of all connected devices; a CAGR of 36.3 per cent.

Few steps India needs to take to ensure a manufacturing success stories in Industry 4.0:

Grow its fledgling Internet of Things (IoT) industry:

Without seamless data integration there can be no Industry 4.0 – its future is in the growth of the Internet of Things market.

IoT is needed to connect all the heterogeneous devices in the industrial automation system and network them together to create the Smart Factory.

India IOT industry , though nascent, is an important part of the Digital India imperative to transform India into a digital, knowledge-driven economy.

India’s IOT market: US $15 bn in 2020, less than 10% of global opportunity of $1.9 trillion.

Indian companies has started recognizing and started adopting IoT for making smart factories.

Need to invest in skill & technology development as well as in R&D to develop local market.

Develop a robust data security environment:

While the Internet of Things forms the backbone of Industry 4.0, without a robust security infrastructure there can be no practical application of the Smart Factory.

Steps to build more conducive environment: more stringent government regulations for data protection and security and a developed Security Services industry.

Skill Development

Need to make progress in areas as cognitive robotics, advanced automation, Industrial ICT, automation bionics and other streams of qualitative skills.

Skill India initiative another step for Industry 4.0 and is closely link with success of it.

In last 15-20 years Indian manufacturing industry invested immensely in manufacturing automation technologies. Adoption of automation technologies and best practices enabled India narrow the capabilities gap significantly and made India stand closer to advance manufacturing economy.